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Getting Your Kids To Eat Right

I don’t need to go into the fact that kids these days don’t exercise enough, are overweight, spend too much time in front of the computer etc… we all know it, and in many cases we should be looking at ourselves in the same lens.

The difficult question becomes, with the advertising and pressure from others how do you convince your children to make healthy eating choices?

Popular Baby Products recently had a post on the topic and suggested 5 rules to live by. They are (paraphrased and with my commentary added):

Create a grocery list that only includes healthy options.There’s no easier way to stray from your original intent than to not have a map to follow. This is particularly true when the kids start pestering you for candies and chips. You need someone on your side, and that list can be your someone.

Don’t bend from this list once you’re at the store.You went through the trouble of creating a healthy shopping list. Don’t let the effort go to waste. Stay strong, and don’t let the children (or effective marketing) get to you.

Avoid fruit juice when feeding your kids.When I was a kid I drank about a gallon of orange juice a day. Strangely I didn’t get a cavity until I was 33… HOWEVER there is always an exception to the rule and let it be known that I was always outside running / biking / playing sports so I’m sure I burned off those calories and more. Don’t give them juice.

When you prepare meals for your children, include healthy snacks.When they’re hungry they’ll eat it… especially if there are no other options available and you’re not around to pester. Throw the carrot sticks in… I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? They thrown them out a couple times?

Set a good example yourself.This goes without saying, but is an easy one to break down on. If your kid finds out liquor is high sugar you could be in trouble. Call it fire water.